It's been eight long years since we said goodbye to our favourite Upper East Siders, and while the Gossip Girl shaped-hole in our heart has been momentarily filled by shows such as Emily In Paris and Bridgerton, there's nothing quite as satisfying as a classic Serena van der Woodsen scandal. Thankfully, our appetite for drama will soon be satisfied, with news of a Gossip Girl reboot now definitely on the cards.
Although there will certainly be some major changes to the original series, bringing the premise of the show into the context of today, there's no doubt that the characters, storyline and of course, the fashion – will continue to resonate with viewers the same way it always has.
From cast details, plot predictions, first pictures and to find out whether any of Gossip Girl's original victims will be making a comeback, keep scrolling for all the details on the upcoming Gossip Girl reboot; including when we can expect to see it on our screens.
What is the plot of the Gossip Girl reboot?
While the reboot will certainly maintain much of the salacious charm we came to love about Gossip Girl, original writer and producer Josh Safran has made it clear that the new series will bring the issues of the Upper East Side into the modern landscape of social media – and the numerous challenges that accompanying it. Safron also revealed that the 10 episode series will place diversity and representation at the heart of the storyline, admiting during an interview at Vulture Festival that, “there was not a lot of representation the first time around on the show."
“I was the only gay writer I think the entire time I was there. Even when I went to private school in New York in the ’90s, the school didn’t necessarily reflect what was on Gossip Girl. So, this time around the leads are nonwhite. There’s a lot of queer content on this show. It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that. The thing I can’t say is there is a twist, and that all relates to the twist.”
Co-creator Josh Schwartz also confirmed to E! News that unlike the original series, Gossip Girl will not be played by a single character – allowing for several opportunities (and chaos, of course) we cannot wait to see unfold.
"There was something really interesting about this idea that we are all Gossip Girl now, in our own way. We are all purveyors of our own social media surveillance state, and how that's evolved, and how that has morphed and mutated and telling that story through a new generation of Upper East Side high school kids felt like the right time.”
Stream on HBO Max in 2020. pic.twitter.com/sP6yq5VUs3
— eric eidelstein (@ericeidelstein) February 14, 2020
The official trailer for the Gossip Girl reboot has landed
Is it Christmas already? HBO Max have treated us to not one, but two official trailers for the Gossip Girl reboot; and as expected, the storyline looks majorly juicy already. Experience them both for yourself, below.
The first teaser of the Gossip Girl reboot is here
On November 21, the official Gossip Girl Instagram account shared a first look at footage and photos from the reboot, featuring Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak and Thomas Doherty. The caption read, "Never fear, dears. Your one and only source is here. You know I could never leave you hanging. xoxo, Gossip Girl." In true Gossip Girl style, the images have that hidden, paparazzi flare, shot from iPhone and sent in as anonymous tips.
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Who has been cast in the Gossip Girl reboot?
The question on everyone's lips – who will rule Manhattan's elite in the new Gossip Girl reboot? One thing we do know is that the show's iconic narration is not going away anytime soon. Kristen Bell will be reprising her role as the narrator (aka, the 'voice' of Gossip Girl), a role she held throughout the entire original series from 2007 to 2012. "Kristen Bell has always been and will always be the voice of Gossip Girl," producers announced in a statement.
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As for the reboots leading stars, Deadline has reported that the cast will introduce us to the Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford of this generation. Actress and musician Emily Alyn Lind is set to play a lead role in the HBO reboot of Gossip Girl – a character by the name of Audrey, which is already serving us major Blair Waldorf-vibes. Staring alongside her is Whitney Peak, an African-Canadian actress known for portraying Judith Blackwood in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her role as Stella in the Academy Award-nominated movie Molly's Game.
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Other notable mentions go to High Fidelity's Thomas Doherty (who looks eerily similar to Chuck Bass), and transgender actress and model Zión Moreno, who recently stared in the 2019 film, K-12 and TV show, Claws.
Some of the OG Gossip Girl cast will have cameos in season 1
Speaking to The Daily Beast, Safran shared that the reboot will include some cameos from the original show – but it won't necessarily be the characters we're expecting.
“There are some cameos in Season 1 from people on the original show, but not the series’ regulars.” He continued: “The audience would never accept these characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters. They’re already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?”
HBO has officially released the new character's names
Taking to the official Gossip Girl Instagram account, HBO has shared the names of each of the leading characters in the upcoming reboot. A detail they've chosen to keep relatively quiet, the account rang in the new year by sharing exclusive portraits of the stars, accompanied by their name and one-word character descriptions. See some of the characters below and head to the Gossip Girl account for the full list.
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When will the Gossip Girl reboot hit our screens?
If you've been praying for a Gossip Girl reboot as much as we have, we may have to hold on for a little bit longer. The series was slated to air in the US on HBO Max in 2020, however, Vulture reported that the new iteration has been rescheduled for a 2021 premiere date. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, production of the series was temporarily halted; but according to Variety, was set to resume and finalise filming in October 2020.
Although we don't have access to HBO Max down under, the Gossip Girl reboot has been confirmed to hit our screens via streaming platform Binge sometime this July. There's also a big chance that you might be able to catch the new series on Foxtel at some point; given that a lot of HBO programs are exclusive to the television company.
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I came to the Met steps to take my gossip girl pics... but I ran into it being blocked off bc I witnessed the filming of the gossip girl reboot 😭😍 i’m living my NY dream pic.twitter.com/oMjajsqEOY
— latanya dabul❁ (@latanyabieber) November 10, 2020
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